San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-05-03

balcony, which runs along the edge OF
the cliff and commands a view of the
Seal Rock, towering high from the sea,
one-eighth of mile away. But he
found he was not alone. lie had dis
tuTbed two lovers at an adjoining table.
They frOwned upon him for moment,
then renewed their whispering.
A sleepy waiter appeared. Dean call
ed for an envelope, placed something
inside, wrete the address of Paul MOX-
on by the light Of the moon, and told
the waiter to mail il, throwing him a
gold coin for his trouble. NO, want
nothing else said he, and the waiter
disappeared.
As the lovers continued their whis-
perings Dean turned his chair to the
railing. Some barques gliding out from
the Golden Gate under full sail seemed
TO him like spirits passing into the I'M
known. Light clouds hurrying across
the blue sky suggested similar fancies.
As TO the rest-the tide meeting the
wind, throwing the waves against each
other with Il Loud shock and making
walls of spray; the noise and cOmmO-
ton; tho Chbngs aud eddyings; the an
CRY rush 10 the clefts of the rocks OPP
pOSte with SObbings and meanings,
buOy-hrlls and the constant roar of the
the seals thou n it had on other occa-
siOns filled JOHN Dean with profound
melancholy. lt found nothing awful in
it now. II" heard this din of the waters
less plainly than the secret voice with
in him of unrrguited love. This grief
and tumult of the ocean was joy COM
pared 10 his calm desOlation. "All that
is matter 0f course" said he. Then,
rising, he cried out:
Break, break, break,
At the foot Of thy craggs, oh sea;
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to mep
Startled by his own voice he turned.
The lovers had gone. He was at last
alone. He leaned over the railing, peet-
ing down the cliff to decide what leap
he should take, for though he had now
no dread of death he wanted no broken
bones nor any stopping place between
the balcony and the sea. Neither did
he want the prying world to explain the
mystery Of his death and to speak of
him as suicide. To the tide, as to
sympathetic friend, he wished to COM
NIT himself, and be borne off to the
depths forever.
He looked up. A dense cloud was
moving toward the moon. Under its
shadow, when passing, he would leap.
A moment only remained. He button
ed his coat, and placed one foot on the
chair ready to mount the railing. He
could scarcely hear the sea; which now
sounded family and far away. The
north wind was not cold to him. His
nerves were wrought so intensely as to
seem dead. He felt nothing but his
heart, which beat loudly, as if tOlling
the soul away.
The cloud approached. Its forked
edges were touching the rim of the
"Ha, ha, ha! Yes, bring me some
champagne! HallOa-whO's thisp BY
the holy powers, John Dean! And all
alone as usual"
Never within his memory had John
Dean suffered such distressing bodily
agony as during the reaction Of the fol-
lowing moment when so many concen-
trated forces began to scatter again. He
discovered that the shock which takes
us from life to sudden death is scarcely
keener than that which, from the verge
of death, brings one back to life.
Dean recognized the intruder as Ar
thur Petty, one of the most daring and
prosperous operators of California street.
He was handsome blelde, whose gay
good nature knew the secret of creating
everywhere welcome for himself. A
great contrast to the lawyer, and hard
to dismiss. Nevertheless, Deans pain
forced him to answer: And, as GliDdyS,
l wish to be alone. If you are gener-
GUS you will leave me-"
"My dear Dean" said Petty, 81 am too
jubilant to leave anybody who to-day
have made $4,000 by the rise in Bengal.
To leave you would be most ungenerous,
base ingratitude, in fact, since your
argument sent up the stock. / should
be despicable not to insist upon your
drinking champagne with me. Waiter
-. Two glasses!"
Dean remembered how the city men
spoke of Petty as "the good-natured
postage stamp" he always stu k so
leave him after accepting something.
He saw that there was no escape; that
resistance would only excite remark.
So he sat down.
Petty clinked glasses, and looking
through the pearly foam, exclaimed:
Here's to John Dean, the lawyer
who makes and unmakes millionaires.
May his happiness always equal his
fame!"
Dean could not resist a smile. He
drank the champagne like water, Ow-
ing to his nervous condition, it relieved
him, but could not intOxicate.
Meantime Petty's tongue ran glibly
on.
81 expect some friends here at !
O'Clock for supper. Stay with us, Dean,
it will do you good. was at Mox-
On's tonight, but that pleasant affair